DITLEV ENGEL: In Denmark, where I come from, we have 44,000 square kilometres of land. In Australia you have eight million square kilometres of land, so there should be good opportunities to find some good space to put them up and do so with the right regulatory planning.

So in my point of view, it should not be too difficult, because you have fantastic wind resources and you have a lot of land.

SARAH CLARKE: What do you think the hurdles are then, in Australia?

DITLEV ENGEL: Well I think we as an industry have to be better at explaining what are the proof points of the industry, what is it that we can do, and why is it that wind, for instance, can (inaudible) the energy cost going forward, because you pay up front for the machine, and then the wind blows the next 20 years for free.

SARAH CLARKE: In Australia, there has been some controversy and some concerns raised by populations living near wind turbines. What are your thoughts on the suggestions that wind turbines and wind farms can make people sick?

DITLEV ENGEL: Well first and foremost, I have to say we have never seen any evidence that that is true, so I think all change is difficult.

And if people are concerned, we take it very seriously. We would like to explain to people what is actually going on when you install a new wind park. So I think we can overcome that.

It has a lot to do with communication, and then again, I have to say you have such vast majorities of land in Australia, and therefore to find the right spots to put them and to get them up and running, I don't think it should be a problem.

At least, I have not heard of anybody who has become really sick from a wind farm.

SARAH CLARKE: In Europe, in Denmark, have these concerns been raised or proven?

DITLEV ENGEL: It's been raised in many, many places. And of course therefore it is very important to have a dialogue and to address the concerns, because I think we can demonstrate point by point that there is no reason to be concerned.

SARAH CLARKE: Given Australia's wind capacity, do you think we have the ability to be a world leader when it comes to being a provider of wind energy, certainly domestically?

DITLEV ENGEL: Absolutely. When we talk about the fossil fuel industry, people say of course you drill for oil in Saudi Arabia because there's a lot oil. Of course you break a lot of coal in Australia because there's a lot of coal.

And the wind is exactly the same. There are countries in the world that have fantastic wind resources - Australia's one of them.

There are other countries that are not so fortunate so it of course very important that Australia do harvest this opportunity going forward.

SARAH CLARKE: Some complaints have been made about the state planning process and trying to get wind farm approval. Have you found that, or heard of these incidences?

DITLEV ENGEL: Yes, of course we heard about them, and we see that in various countries.

But again, I'm back to - it's all about the dialogue. It's about explaining what are the concerns and then to get them addressed.

And I have to say now, that Vestas have installed turbines in more than 70 countries around the world and I think we have bumped into most of the challenges that people have in the planning process, and I'm also pretty sure we can solve them.

SARAH CLARKE: Australia's renewable energy target is 20 per cent by 2020. How does that compare, and is that enough?

DITLEV ENGEL: Well, obviously, we would always like to do more, but on the other hand, it is an ambitious target and I think it's going to be very important for Australia to get there, because we are seeing an energy transformation in the making.

Now Denmark, where I come from, we have 28 per cent of our electricity from wind. In 2020, the Danish government has decided, it's going to be 50 per cent, and by 2050, Denmark is going to run 100 per cent on renewables.

So it's about a long-term planning, it's about long term regulatory certainty, and therefore getting to the 20 per cent is going to be an important step in that direction.

TIM PALMER: The CEO of the wind technology company Vestas, Ditlev Engel.